Jean Plaidy

One of history s most complex and alluring women comes to life in this classic novel by the legendary Jean Plaidy.Young Anne Boleyn was not beautiful but she was irresistible, capturing the hearts of kings and commoners alike Daughter of an ambitious country lord, Anne was sent to France to learn sophistication, and then to court to marry well and raise the family s fortuOne of history s most complex and alluring women comes to life in this classic novel by the legendary Jean Plaidy.Young Anne Boleyn was not beautiful but she was irresistible, capturing the hearts of kings and commoners alike Daughter of an ambitious country lord, Anne was sent to France to learn sophistication, and then to court to marry well and raise the family s fortunes She soon surpassed even their greatest expectations Although his queen was loving and loyal, King Henry VIII swore he would put her aside and make Anne his wife And so he did, though the divorce would tear apart the English church and inflict religious turmoil and bloodshed on his people for generations to come.Loathed by the English people, who called her the King s Great Whore, Anne Boleyn was soon caught in the trap of her own ambition Political rivals surrounded her at court and, when she failed to produce a much desired male heir, they closed in, preying on the king s well known insecurity and volatile temper Wrongfully accused of adultery and incest, Anne found herself imprisoned in the Tower of London, where she was at the mercy of her husband and of her enemies.

Recent Comments "The Lady in the Tower"

First I'd like to thank my good friend Marian for sending her copy from Canada; she is the expert on the Tudor time frame.This is a wonderful perspective of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's most notorious wife. Jean Plaidy presents a fictional version of Anne, told by Anne's point of view in epistolary fashion. While Anne is imprisoned in the tower, she writes the King a letter to appeal his mercy. Plaidy gives us a very kind and unusual viewpoint of this interesting and fascinating woman, who bro [...]

It's been almost 10 years since I read this. In the interim, I've read more current novels by countless authors about doomed Queen Anne Boleyn. However, re-reading this has solidified my belief that no one has blended with documented factual information a better fictional account of Anne's rise and fall then Plaidy.This is a smooth and easy read with good characterizations and dialog. It's impossible for anyone to know how Anne really came off personality-wise, but novels written about her usual [...]

Anne Boleyn was the second and most famous of Henry VIII's six wives.Henry's determination to marry her, in part, led to the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church.Another reason was that Henry wanted the wealth of the Church in his own hands being a greedy grasping man.The book begins with Anne's incarceration in the Tower of London as she reflects on her life.We are taken back to when Anne was seven years old and traveled to France to serve in the household of Princ [...]

This is the book that started my obsession with Jean Plaidy–the first of her novels I read and my absolute favorite characterization of Anne Boleyn. Eight years have passed, and reading it again I stand by my initial delight in finding an admirable protagonist in Anne–after having been introduced to her by Philippa Gregory, with her not-so-flattering portrayal of Anne as a great intriguer with temperamental dominance.In The Lady in the Tower, Anne is imprisoned in the Tower of London, recoun [...]

This makes up for trying to watch the Tudors on t.v (99% less sex - and much more history.)I listened to this because of the comments I heard that Anne Boleyn was somewhat helpful in kick starting the Christian reformation - but not really in a good or bad way. But necessary. This account takes us through most of Anne's life and shows us the struggles of attempting to do what she thought might be the noble thing. But it's best not to always trust your thoughts, better to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion [...]

I loved that Anne stressed that she loved her daughter dearly, often she is portrayed as hating the child who was not a boy. The care that she showed the child was very endearing. I’m not sure if it was believable that she wished to feed Elizabeth herself.“Then it occurred to me, it’s not easy to tread safely when dealing with Royalty.” If only Anne had remembered the lessons she learned while serving Mary in the French court when dealing with Henry. Plaidy wrote a much more innocent vie [...]

"We'll have no Nan Bullen!"Probably one of the best Plaidy novels. She does an excellent job of portraying Anne as a victim of circumstance, as a young woman who is swept up in the Majesty of an overbearing, petulant, hypocritical monarch. Considering the shadow that was cast on her reign there is quite a bit of source material available, which Plaidy utilizes to the fullest. Ranks up there with her Eleanor of Aquitaine, Katherine of Aragon, and queen Victoria novels

So often Anne Boleyn is painted the villian. This novel is fiction but I love the perspective the story is being told from. Anne is opinionated, educated, erudite and mysterious. I never believed she was an opportunist like her father, the Earl of Rochford. It is highly probable the Boleyn children were strongly encouraged to increase their status from parental pressure. In this depiction, Henry is the pursuer, and Anne holds him off, not only because she dislikes and blames him for dismantling [...]

Excellent!! One of the best Anne Boleyn books I've read to date. Jean Plaidy is an exceptional author who turned what could have been dry, boring history into a fantastic, page-turning novel! Very well researched and beautifully written. Highly recommended!! Audiobook: Anne Flosnick gave her best performance. Knowing her from historical romance novels, I found her narration of this story near perfect!!!

Anne Boleyn has always interested me and I finally have gotten around to reading some historical fiction depicting her story. The author of this book gets a wee bit repetitive at times but overall does a great job bringing the characters to life. I'm really enjoying this one - though I want to jump into the pages and rescue the Anne. What a story!

I really enjoyed this book. It was the first I read by Jean Plaidy, and it will definitely not be the last. I recently re-discovered my Tudors obsession, and so I decided to pick a book about my personal favourite Henry VIII's wife, Anne Boleyn. Plaidy wrote a lot of Tudors books, and I really hope the others are as successful as this one.Plaidy starts the story when Anne is in the Tower, awaiting her death, and then goes back to the very beginning of her life, when as a child she goes to the co [...]

Fascinating and intuitive first person narrative of the life of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's take on Anne, especially the decision to write the novel as if Anne had written it while imprisoned in the tower before her execution. It is laid out in a chronological, conversational, and confessional manner; as a way of looking back over the span of her life, to determine where she made her fatal mistakes, and how she may have anticipate [...]

I thought it was very good. I enjoyed how the story was told as a memory from the night before she died so throught the story she would give her own opinion on her past actions. It will absolutely keep me coming back for more Jean Plaidy.

My favorite version of Anne Boleyn that I've read so far! Almost every other book I've read--especially the infamous The Other Boleyn Girl--play up the smear campaign that accompanied and brought about her downfall. Jean Plaidy, however, lets Anne have our sympathy even as we cringe (along with her) at her forwardness. Admittedly, I have read this book before. The first time it was lent to me by a friend in high school, and it's one of the few times that I can remember relating so strongly to so [...]

History has been very unkind to Anne Bolyen. Most of the time, she is painted as the witch for enticing Henry VIII away from his loyal Queen of twenty years, causing the break with Rome and the closing of monasteries. But we never really got to know the real her, the woman behind that ugly reputation. Jean Plaidy has wonderfully woven a story about Anne and what shaped her character and lead to her rise and ultimate downfall. We start off with Anne, locked up in the tower, awaiting for her soon [...]

Not a whole lot new to be learned or proposed about Anne Boleyn at this point, fiction or non-, but Jean Plaidy manages some novelty with speculation on her subject's early life at the French court. Her Anne isn't quite as calculating as Philippa Gregory's, and her opinion of Mary Boleyn is completely different. Plaidy presents Mary's "free and easy" behavior as a formative contrast to Anne, a reputation she works against all her life. Anne condemns Mary's way of life, but the author doesn't, pr [...]

I first read this book when I was a teenager - at least 20 years ago now. It was just as entrancing this time around as it was the first!Plaidy's style isn't for everyone. I devoured her books as a teen and enjoyed the romance novel style these historical novels were written in. All of them are in first-person and from the point of view of the person whose story is being told. The Lady in the Tower is about Anne Boleyn, and she is telling her own story. In this way, Plaidy does bring history al [...]

I really wanted to give this book more than one star. It had the makings of good material, the story of Anne Boleyn from Anne Boleyn's point of view. However, there were major problems I saw with the story that made it one of the few books I read that have me severely questioning my policy of finishing a book I have started, no matter how painful it is.1.) Repetitive: The story is horribly repetitive. It seems like entire paragraphs where Anne is describing her sixth finger, her admirers, her wo [...]

I used to love reading Victoria Holt's gothic novels. Although I wasn't as fond of the historical novels written under her pen-name Jean Plaidy, I didn't remember them as being boring or poorly written in any way. So when I saw this title available for audio download, I quickly checked it out. Unfortunately, I found it both boring and poorly written. It didn't seem like historical fiction really--more like a history lesson that someone attempted to breathe life into. The story is supposed to be [...]

This is by far the most sympathetic novel I’ve read on Anne Boleyn, but that makes sense since it is entirely written from her point of view. Convincingly written from her point of view.Anne Boleyn arrived at the French Court of the King of France as an attendant of his new Queen, Mary, younger sister of King Henry VIII of England. Young Anne was only 7 years old. She remained in France until England made ready for war with them; she was called home at the age of 14. She then proceeded to beco [...]

Obsessed might be too light of a word to describe my fascination with Anne Boleyn but really guys, this past few months she has been the only thing I wanted to read about. I haven't read that many works relating to her tragic past (there has been four or five only I believe) but each book had me craving more and more of her story. The 3stars were granted only because at times there were whole passages that were reapeated in a different chapter and I don't know if this was merely due to bad editi [...]

I loved the new perspective of Anne Boleyn in this novel. Most people assume that Anne was a conniving girl that just wanted to be queen. In this telling, Anne is nothing like that. She falls in love and that match is prevented. She later learns that Henry had something to do with the match being prevented. Also, she attempts to flee Henry's sight by leaving court and he simply follows and promises to divorce the Queen to have Anne. We don't know if the King really did prevent the match for Anne [...]